the end... sort of

Friends, family, lurkers:


I've decided to start a new blog. Although posting (which I haven't been doing regularly for the past month) on Capitol Hill to Scotland has been fun and all, just seeing the words "Capitol Hill" gives me panic attacks. Before I moved to Scotland, I had every intention of buying an overpriced condo in DC and returning to Hill life. As a matter of fact, a few months ago we were very close to making an offer on a 1 bedroom/1 den condo in Navy Yard - a ton of money for a 1 bedroom/1 "den" that probably wouldn't even fit a desk! Needless to say, I'm glad we didn't take the jump because at this point, I'm not sure going back to DC is in our cards.


I no longer have nightmares about not checking my blackberry and I finally enjoy having hobbies; therefore, a fresh start is necessary. Without further ado, I give you Postcards From Rachel.


Be sure to stop by and check out all of our photos and stories! Another plus - I no longer have to be somewhat anonymous. :)

u-s-a, u-s-a!

In roughly four hours, B and I will be making our way to the Aberdeen airport. Malcolm is already in Amsterdam spending the night at a swanky animal hotel and once we're reunited, we'll all be hopping across the pond to Washington, DC. Oh DC, how I've missed you.

I must say, moving a dog to a different country really sucks. It's stressful. And it costs a lot. But it'll all be worth it when I finally find a suitable bow tie for Malc (maybe I can steal one from a summer intern?) and am able to snap some glamour shots in front of the Capitol Building (fyi, I have an obsession with the United States Capitol and I miss roaming around in it).

Something that's even better than dogs in bow ties? Pet passports. For some reason Malcolm's is still making me giggle.

Perhaps it's because of the terrible photo we plastered inside.

Anyway - I need to sleep. Hopefully B and I don't swallow any needle-filled sandwiches on our Delta/KLM flights. Cross your fingers!

ready for this jelly?

Hey, remember me? We have had quite the busy week preparing for an upcoming trip to the United States, scheduling emergency vet appointments, and dining with good friends. 

Over the weekend, we went to one of our favorite Scottish pubs for a quick lunch before Forvie beach. Unfortunately, we had no idea that the entire beach would be covered with odd looking jellyfish.

Since we never put Malcolm on a leash when we're hiking away from cars, he had

the opportunity to lick one before we knew what was going on. We pulled him away from the jellyfish and stuck him on the leash, but his mouth was already starting to foam due to a bad allergic reaction. 

The foam piling out of his mouth was bad enough, but he also started to vomit violently. Then he became tired and wouldn't get off of the ground. This is the same dog who hiked up a mountain for seven hours without even taking a five minute break! Seeing him lethargic was definitely the scariest part. We hurried back to the car with our friends to drive him to the vet and of course - we had a flat tire.

After the boys changed the tire, we drove to a vet out in the country who agreed to meet us after hours and look Malcolm over. After an anti-inflammatory injection, he was much better.

What a weekend!

our time is running out

We leave Aberdeen on August, 31st for our next adventure in Arizona. Since traveling on discount airlines is cheap, we have been packing the calendar with fun trips - Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, etc. I'm attempting to write everything down on our calendar today, but it's already so crowded I'm giving myself heart palpitations. Almost every single weekend is booked. I hope I'm ready for many plane rides... eek.

P.S. Have I mentioned how excited I am for some Phoenix sunshine?

making yourself sound important when you don't have a job

I'm always a bit embarrassed when my mom emails or calls me and asks what I've done all day. My answer usually involves doing loads of laundry and dealing with Malcolm. And that's about it. So if you're in my position (practicing housewifery), here's a list of statements I've been using recently to make myself sound important:

- I've been swamped applying for grad schools. I find myself perfecting my application for hours every day! (Even though I worked on the application for mere minutes and sent it in a week ago).
- I'm totally stressed over my new blog design. I've been working through the details with a design company because one sarcastic blog isn't enough. (Somewhat true).
- I'm really into training Malcolm these days. We're working on quite a few new tricks and I think we've almost mastered "shake". (As Malc and I are glued in front of the TV watching The Hills reruns. He also refuses to shake my hand like a normal dog).
- Scotland has been such a blessing. I have so much free time that I'm brushing up on my French skills. (I have a French app on my phone that I probably look at once a month).
- I'm in the process of mastering Photoshop Elements 10. It's such a great program. (I got bored yesterday and photoshopped my little sister's face. She now looks like a character from Twilight).
- I've become quite the chef over these past few months! (As we're having either fish tacos or Greek food for the millionth time).

bye bye birdie

Yesterday as we were taking Malcolm on his afternoon walk, we witnessed a group of crows pecking two little birds to death. Luckily our presence scared them away, but the birds were already in terrible shape. The smallest pigeon -- or dove -- (I don't think there's that much of a difference, but then again, I'm no bird expert) stumbled into the street and began to waddle in front of a stopped car due to a broken wing. Suddenly a Scottish man scooped up the bird, broke its neck, and discarded it into a bush. In front of passersby. I felt sick to my stomach and wanted to cry. 

For those of you who don't already know, I'm obsessed with animals and feel the need to keep them safe. I love any type of animal, really. When I was younger we had a rabbit, a turtle, hamsters, gerbils, cats, and a dog. I would bring them home (not all of the animals we owned, but some) and try to hide them in my bedroom but of course, my parents would always find them.

To make a long story short, I told B that we had to bring the other bird home. It's wing was clearly broken as well and as it hid behind a street sign, it looked like it was going to hyperventilate (so sad). B suggested Malcolm's old travel kennel that he outgrew a while ago so I picked it up with my sweater and tucked it inside. 

I googled searched for advice (of course) and found that the UK has quite a few pigeon/dove shelters. The man at the shelter suggested calling the Scottish SPCA since it was injured and then they would most likely turn it over to him. Birdy is now in their possession and hopefully he'll heal soon... I'm glad his neck wasn't snapped too. 

The kennel Malcolm so graciously handed over.

an (awkward) american abroad

Today was a day dedicated to errands. My loving husband came home on his lunch break so we could take Malcolm to get his rabies shot for his big day across the Atlantic in July, and then I took care of other things in the city center. 

I held up a line at the local post office with my American swipe credit card (everyone else has chips), I couldn't figure out if I should push or pull the door at the optometrist's office, I forgot which way to look before I crossed a busy street to get to a stationery store, and I accidentally walked on the right side of the sidewalk instead of the left which almost caused a nice gentleman to drop his groceries.

I survived my big day in the city and rewarded myself with a large, American coffee frappuccino from Starbucks.

(Have I mentioned that in the UK I'm extremely awkward? Oh yes, the title of the post.)

ummm...

At this very moment, crazy neighbor #2 is sprinting from house to house on our street, pulling non-existent weeds from front yards. She is also manipulating the grass around the sidewalk trees with a garden shovel. I'm not sure what she's hoping to accomplish but all I can say is that dogs pee near those trees. A lot of dogs. 

Malcolm is watching her from our front window and he does not look happy. He's also telling me he has a sudden urge to use the front yard restroom.  

Catch you all later!

passports spotted!

After waiting months and months for our passports to return from the UKBA, we will finally have them in our hands tomorrow. We're going to Morocco next week! I'm glad we don't have to cancel another trip, especially this one, because we got a great hotel deal on LivingSocial at the Dar Jaguar -- an ancient riad-- and everything about it looks interesting and beautiful. 

I also want to ride a camel!

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Has anyone else been to Morocco?

queen's diamond jubilee weekend

It's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend, celebrating her 60-year reign and everyone's out and about. The small Scottish towns we drove through today had flags flying on their main streets and quite a few townhouses in our Aberdeen neighborhood have red, white & blue decorations. We're watching the Thames River Pageant on television and I must say, I'm glad we're not in London this weekend; it's pouring on the royal family's barge!

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Flags in Aberdeen on Union Street.

Today is also Aberdeen's International Street Fair. B and I made a stop and scarfed down a bratwurst and some Spanish paella. We love that the street is lined with so many interesting stands. This month's street fair featured Dutch flowers, homemade garden furniture and jewelry, a cheese and olive stand, sausage stands, French crepes, and more.

coffee & a kindle

Nice little Thursday...

I was contemplating going to a movie at the theatre, but then I remembered they don't have butter pumps for the popcorn. Yeah, I know. They're missing out.

brits & their fancy hats

I love watching the UK version of "Four Weddings" because the brides aren't as annoying (but just as bitchy), they regularly include same-sex couples (the men are vicious), and almost every female attending the couple's nuptials wears an extravagant hat or fascinator.

I want to adopt this style and go all "Kate Middleton" in the USA.


Would you ever wear a fancy hat?

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foundation: fifty shades of pale

The warm weather from last week has come and gone, and we're once again left with cloudy skies and cold wind. And I'm back in my winter coat -- a heavy North Face that looks as though I've gained twenty pounds overnight. Every time we get a taste of the sun, the locals warn us once again that it's a fluke because Scotland never has a real summer. And when it inevitably disappears, I'm reminded that the Scottish are never wrong. Darn them! Even though I absolutely despise this miserable weather, I'm happy to report that I've graduated to a new foundation shade.

fun in aberdeen

For those of you living in/around the Aberdeen area, here's what's going on this weekend:

The 26th Annual Great Grampian Beer Festival is this week from Thursday - Saturday at the Richard Donald Stand Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen. The cheap entry fee includes a commemorative glass and program, and the beer festival will feature 100 real ales. We will be making a visit on Thursday.

And our favorite - the Aberdeen's International Street Market is from Friday - Sunday. They hold the street fair every month in Aberdeen and the food is delicious. Dutch pancakes and German brats are our favorite. They also have flavorful Spanish rice and French pastries. We will be going on Sunday. I cannot wait!

here comes the sun

We have had a week of warmth and sunshine... in Scotland! Naturally we have been making the most of it by visiting the beach and hiking around castles, but we are no longer used to this much light and heat. Ouch, my eyes!

The Aberdeen beach has quite a few restaurants ranging from Mexican to American to Italian, and on the boardwalk you'll find cute cafes. We ate outside at the Sand Dollar Cafe with Malcolm (he enjoyed my scrambled eggs and grilled ham) and then took a walk near the water. Everyone was laying out and having picnics on the beach, and quite a few people were actually swimming in the North Sea. The water is freezing cold!

This weather is much better than Scotland's usual gloominess. I don't want it to end.

stealers, keepers

Even though we apparently live in one of the so-called "posh" neighborhoods in Aberdeen and our street is relatively quiet and tame, our neighbors seem to have psychotic tendencies. And sticky fingers. It was amusing at first, but now, not so much.


The main reason we moved from our city center flat (great location right next to a bustling pub with live music... sigh) was to find a bigger place with a garden for the dog -- Oh, and to find a home without black mold covering the walls and ceiling. We had always loved our friends' place on the other side of town, and since they were moving back to the States right when our flat lease ended, we called the office to negotiate. The owner of the unit agreed to allow us to have one dog on the property as long as we paid a little more per month. Done!


On the weekend after we moved in, the weather was beautiful. We were busy organizing the house and playing with Malcolm in the yard when someone knocked on the door. It was our upstairs neighbor who happens to share the garden with us. B answered and right away Mr. I-have-petite-elf-hands-and-can't-look-you-in-the-eye started scolding him, insisting that the backyard is for "human use only" even though our CONTRACT stated otherwise. B explained to the neighbor that the owner of the flat and the leasing office approved our request for a dog. Elf man started swearing and finally retreated back to his flat. About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at our door again and it was him. He went on and on and on about the dog and how dirty pets are (even though we clean up after Malc every single time) and showed B his contract for the backyard which was pointless because it didn't say anything about pets not being allowed -- umm? He retreated once again and then sent his wife down to do his dirty work. She brought a document that he had printed out called the 'Dog Fouling Act of Scotland'. She basically told B and I that they didn't want Malcolm stepping foot in the backyard, and threatened to contact people because it was unsafe for their children. I was so upset I wanted to cry. Unsafe? Malcolm is a fluffy midget Westie that loves children! Finally, we agreed that we would buy a stake and leash to keep Malcolm close to our door. The problem with that is he can't even make it to the grass... the leash is too short! Sad. The next day after this particular fiasco, we caught our lovely neighbors trying to haul our trash can to their side. What the heck? They must have seen me watching from the window or decided against it, because they pushed it back and walked away. And that's the story of neighbor #1 (and his wife).

ramblings: dining in scotland

When you're living in the Scotland, you quickly realize that there is no such thing as "grabbing a quick bite to eat" unless you're interested in McDonald's, Burger King, or KFC (bleh). We have a wide variety of restaurants, pubs, and quaint cafes in Aberdeen, which is wonderful because we love to eat, but they're all the same in one aspect: the service is S-L-O-W. It's not unusual for dinner to last around 2 or so hours and you're expected to automatically set aside this much time. 


The first thing B and I noticed when we moved here is that going out to dinner is a big deal. In DC, dinner was always rushed for us. Unless we were going out to a nice restaurant for date night, we would just grab a drink, a main, the check, and run to wherever we were going next. In the U.S., it's easy to squeeze in dinner at a restaurant before an event or an outing with friends. Here, not so much. Since going out to dinner is basically an affair in itself, the Scots often order wine, appetizers, entrées, desserts, and a coffee after everything else is finished. This coupled with the fact that the waiters never bring the bill to your table, makes for a very long evening. In a sense it's nice because you never feel like an inconvenience to the restaurant staff and you're never rushed, but when you're in a hurry, it's difficult to get anywhere on time. 

let's talk about communicating abroad

Since my Vodafone USB internet dongle thingy has held up long enough for me to post a few times this week, let's discuss communication methods you can use in the UK, whether you're a soon-to-be expat or just someone who will be abroad for an extended period of time.


When we still lived in DC, B traveled to Aberdeen for two weeks to test the waters. Since we were in the process of planning the final touches of our wedding, we had to discuss a few things over the phone. We both downloaded the Skype app on our cell phones so we could text throughout the day without racking up charges, and used Skype on our laptops at night so we could talk. The Skype texts worked well, but the Skype conversations - not so much. We quickly realized that internet connections in the UK (especially in hotels) are never strong enough to use Skype on a laptop. Sure, it might work for a few minutes, but eventually the other person will start to slow down and freeze if you have the video on, the sound will cut out, and you'll be forced to end the call. And then try again. Ten to fifteen times in a row. And then when it fails almost every night for two weeks and you have no other means of communication with your fiancé, you'll go to bed in tears. 

the internets

You may have noticed that for the last week or so, this blog has been sprinkled with random posts and then they eventually disappeared. The internet in our flat has stopped working and our provider told my husband that it will most likely take them over a week to resolve the issue. This doesn't surprise me since our leasing office promised us a replacement dishwasher over a month and a half ago and to this date I'm still hand-washing everything (I'd like to think it's helping tone my nonexistent arm muscles), and the UKBA promised us our new visas weeks ago and we're now canceling multiple trips. 


Everything takes time in the UK and I guess I'll have to wait for our internet, On Demand and landline to be fixed by BT, while I badger the leasing office about our dishwasher, doorbell, and lights to be replaced. Maybe while I'm doing all of the above, the UKBA will finally review our flipping paperwork and mail us the letter we've been patiently waiting for. The letter that states our papers have been accepted and explains how to schedule a biometrics appointment. Of course after our biometrics test, we have to wait an additional four weeks for our passports and visas to be mailed to us. Seriously. If we have to cancel our trip to Morocco next month, I will scream.

travel themed giveaway coming soon

I've had a good day. It's my birthday and I was able to reschedule our cruise. Yay! The customer service representative at MSC cruises was very understanding and accommodating, and we now have a cruise booked in August for our one-year anniversary (assuming we have passports...) Unfortunately, we will no longer be visiting Malta like the original ship was scheduled to do, but we will be stopping in Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Tunisia, Ibiza, Palma and Genoa. I've never been on a Mediterranean cruise and I'm so excited! I just hope it all works out.


Since I've had a wonderful day, I'm feeling quite generous (haha). I've been wanting to do a travel themed giveaway so look for that soon. Maybe it will contain a cute passport holder! 

How adorable is this one?


Leave me a message and let me know what you'd like to see in the travel giveaway!